February 20, 2018
Green skin avocados are on the menu for W.P. Produce at this year’s Southern Exposure show, and attendees can have a tasting of the special item at Booth No. 145.
“We look forward to SEPC because it’s a chance for us to meet with many of our retailers and wholesalers that we currently do business with,” said Desiree Morales, vice president of the Miami-based company. “We also have the opportunity in showing our actual produce and packaging to potential customers.”
W.P. Produce will have Green Skin Avocados on hand at Booth No. 145 during Southern Expsoure 2018.The company is coming off another successful year, which Morales attributes to its commitment to quality.
“We really take extra care in the packing and selection of our produce,” she said. “Our Desbry brand is recognized in the U.S. for having superior quality. Our most popular Desbry items are green skin avocados, Malanga, Yuca, Chayote, Haitian Mango, Papaya, Plantains, Mamey, Boniato, and Habanero Peppers. Our customers know what they are getting and can count on us to consistently deliver what they need.”
In 2018, Desbry Green Skin Avocados will be available 10 months out of the year thanks to a Florida season that will pick up in June, just a couple of months after W.P. Produce’s Dominican Republic season comes to an end.
“This is great news for many of our current customers as they know they can count on having quality green skins in their stores almost all year round,” Morales said. “For us, business has been good and sales have been increasing. We did get hit with Hurricane Irma on our local Florida produce, but we were able to start our Dominican Republic imports a bit earlier than usual which helped us balance the loss.”
Morales said that W.P. Produce is also ramping up its Haitian Mango season in 2018, with the season expected to run from May through July, and the quality and volume already looking very promising.
“We are expecting a 25 percent volume increase as opposed to last year,” Morales said.
Also this year, the company launched its Desbry Organics line and began to do so with its Green Skin Avocados, and hopes to add more organic tropical produce for 2018.
When it comes to tropical fruit as a whole, Morales feels that retailers can be doing a bit more to get the word out about what’s available and when.
“It’s important to educate the consumer as to when would be the best time to eat specific produce. Many consumers enjoy tropical produce, but lots of times they are not eating it at the perfect time,” she said. “We have supplied many of our customers with recipe cards and informational sheets for our Desbry Tropical produce. We also post this on our website and Instagram page as to hopefully get to the consumer.”
